1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems for facilitating personal development, specifically to methods and systems using a computing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Facilitated personal development is an old art having roots in the beginning of recorded history with informal counseling among friends and family, religious practices, childrearing, and the like. For most of this history, technology has played a limited and sometimes controversial role in the art, including technologies such as electroshock therapy, pharmaceuticals, biofeedback, and the like. However, the potential gains in facilitated personal development are very great.
In particular, our individual human potential is often blocked by our own perception of ourselves and our surroundings. People often limit their positive impact on themselves and their communities and even limit their communities because of “blocks” “issues”, etc. Accordingly, productivity, quality of life, and other valuable aspects of personal existence may hinge on being able to resolve such issues and achieve a higher level of functionality and experience. This, in turn, impacts our communities and ultimately the course of our civilization.
In the related art, it has been known to use software to facilitate personal development. Examples include productivity and time management software that help one to be more productive and remove issues related to time usage. Further, there are educational programs that present scripted media content in the form of slideshows, linked videos, ebooks, podcasts and the like including personal development teachings, visualizations, hypnosis, and the like. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,841, issued to Lycas, discloses a presentation generator is disclosed for generating presentations for interacting with a user on a personal topic of, e.g., the user's selection, wherein the presentations assist the user in obtaining a greater awareness of his/her motivations and/or behaviors relating to the topic. In one embodiment, the presentation generator generates and presents to the user textual observations, questions, and/or statements for the user's consideration. Such presentations use and/or are consistent with textual descriptions obtained from: (a) the results of one or more personality/motivation test results, and (b) user inputs, e.g., regarding the selected topic together with his/her confidence in the validity of such inputs. The invention organizes the textual descriptions so that outputs to the user can be generated from various personality/motivational perspectives thereby assisting the user in viewing the topic of discussion from different perspectives and thereby becoming more aware of his/her biases, motivations, and/or concerns relating to the topic.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,577, issued to Kanter, discloses various systems and methods for providing an individual with improved emotional awareness and self-mastery. The systems and methods allow an individual to recall a situation in which the he or she experienced negative emotions. Then, the individual is able to analyze the recalled situation to identify specific negative emotions (specifically “flight” or “fight” emotions) experienced during the particular situation. Once the individual has identified specific negative emotions that were experienced during the particular situation, the systems and methods of this invention correlate each identified emotion with an underlying spiritual need. When the appropriate spiritual need(s) have been identified, the systems and methods of this invention identify at least one antidote to the spiritual need(s). The antidote(s) are then relayed to the individual for personal application. In this manner, an individual can evaluate the negative emotion(s) experienced during a particular situation and receive guidance as to how he or she can cultivate virtuous behavior that will overcome the negative emotions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,994, issued to Bro, discloses an automated and interactive positive motivation system (10) that allows a physician, counselor or trainer to produce and send a series of motivational messages and/or questions to a client (50) to change or reinforce a specific behavioral problem. The system (10) consists of a client database (12) and a client program (14) that includes for each client unique motivational messages and/or questions based on the transtheoretical model of change comprising the six stages of behavioral change (100) and the 14 processes of change (114), as interwinding, interacting variables in the modification of health and mental health behaviors of the client (50). The client program (14) utilizes the associated 14 processes of change (114) to move the client (50) through one of the six stages of behavioral change (100) when appropriate by using a plurality of transmission and receiving means. The database and program are operated by a computer (16) that at preselected time periods sends the messages and/or questions to the client (50) through use of a variety of transmission means and furthermore selects a platform of behavioral issues that is to be addressed based on a given behavioral stage (100) at a given time of day.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0298549, by Quill et al., discloses an expert system supporting non-experts in their capacity to develop, implement, monitor and evolve therapy plans. Therapy plans in this application are educational and non-medical. The purpose of the therapy plan is to guide the caregiver or therapist in what to do for a client and how to do it. The client is a person with a previously diagnosed condition (psychological, cognitive, or physical) which responds to a teaching process. The plans are developed based on expert system analysis of user input. This analysis is reflective of decision making processes in the fields of both special needs education and rehabilitative medicine, including speech language pathology, psychology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0064019, by Kaufman et al., discloses an internet based system for conducting self-assessment and self-improvement inquiries, including expert and peer evaluations, advisement, and support within the context of an internet based dynamic and interactive online community designed to further the self-assessment and self-improvement process by providing users with computer based self-assessment and self-improvement tests utilizing a dynamic flash based “video-game-like” interface and, then providing the results to be used within that interactive online community to further the self-improvement process by the participation in an internet-based online community in which the user is matched with actual online resources with aptitudes and preferences as determined by the results of the directed self-assessment. Said results may also be used to match vocational and avocational aptitudes with the potential employers and mentors of the social community.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being too rigid/controlling, failing to produce meaningful results, being awkward to use, failing to provide needed resources, being ineffective, being inefficient, not resolving issues, failing to educate, not being reusable, not being adapted to the individual, failing to provide the right information at the right time, being expensive, requiring use of a consultant/professional, and/or failing to protect a user thereof.
What is needed is a system or method that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.